In September, The Leonard Cohen Files will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Twenty years ago the world wide web was still in its pioneering years; the first households and offices had gotten connected, and every one was thinking how to make use of this new exciting channel. With a history of two decades, The Files is one of the oldest sites still online that is dedicated to an artist.
I launched the Files with the technical help of our son, Rauli. It was more or less a test to find out how to program a website and to see what happened when it was finally online. We didn’t have any bigger expectations or plans for the future. The avalanche of emails and information provided for The Files took us by surprise, and the site began to grow.

An essential step came two years later when Leonard made contact and offered to help by sending me previously unpublished material. At that time he was living at the Zen Center on Mt Baldy. The Center had one telephone line that also could be used for internet connection through a very slow dial-up modem.

Today we have a whole community gathered around Leonard’s work, several sites and Facebook pages dedicated to Leonard, and of course our Forum. It was launched in 2002 but was preceded by our Message Board and Chatroom. Before those, in the very beginning, we used the Usenet group called Leonard Cohen Newsgroup which was created after an email list. The idea of having real-life get-togethers, instead of 'just' browsing in the cyber-space, was first born in the Newsgroup . Our first gathering was in Lincoln, UK, in 1998, followed by the biennial, formally organized LC Events (since 2000, with the initial one in Montreal), and the informal Hydra Meetups, since 2005 (a follow-up to the Hydra Event in 2002). A more recent new activity created by our Forum members is The Walking Weekend. This October we will have the fourth one In Vilaudrau, Catalonia, near Barcelona.

Many friendships (and a dozen marriages) have been established through our community; I’d even say that all those dear friends
Eija and I have made throughout the years have given me the incentive to keep going with the websites and our other activities. Thanks to our members, our happenings, and Leonard’s tours, we have collected so many fond memories from a multitude of countries.

Leonard has continued to contribute to the website throughout these many years, and we had the privilege to be the first to announce his return to touring in 2008. Thanks to Leonard and his management, we were also able to arrange a pre-sale for every concert during his world tours in 2008-2013.

To celebrate these 20 years, we now announce a competition. We ask you to design a new logo for The Files and Forum. A logo that can be used on the websites, as well as in the Event booklets, t-shirts, and other locations.

The following are the competition rules:
1) Feel free to use text, photo,s and drawings of your own design. However, the text “The Leonard Cohen Files & Forum” must be included.
2) If you use a photo or drawing that is not your own, you must first obtain permission from the photographer or artist. However, photos taken by Eija and me can be freely used (in the galleries at http://www.cohen.1g.fi/kuvat).
3) The size of the logo file has to be 1 MB or more, to ensure good printing quality regardless of size. A jpg is recommended; but a pdf is also possible.
4) Use as many colours as you like (simply b&w is okay, too)
5) All logos sent to this competition become the property of The Leonard Cohen Files, and can be used for our campaigns. The author will be credited when applicable. We may also use more than one logo in the future. A selection of the logos sent to the competition will be permanently posted on the Files.
6) The logos must be sent to me at jarkko (at) arjatsalo.fi by August 27, 2015. The results will be announced on our 20th anniversary day, September 3. Please include your full name, email address, and postal address.

We also have some great prizes!

1) The winner (the best logo chosen by your webmaster) will get a book or booklet signed and dedicated to the winner by Leonard.
2-3) Original tour T-shirt or another rare LC item (will be discussed with the winners)
Extra prize: a book or booklet signed and dedicated by Leonard. All logos sent to our competition are eligible for the allotment of this prize.

I think this is an incredibly fabulous idea! And such an innovative and great way to celebrate your 20th anniversary, Jarkko! And the newcomers will have equal opportunity to participate and win. Such an inclusive and tangible way of showing your appreciation for all the people who have remained loyal to and participated [or at least read] the Forum and to attending Leonard's concerts!

I have a big big feeling you're going to have trouble making a final choice! There are SO many creative people out there, in addition to Ania and Willy and Wijbe's son. I suspect there may even be more professionals in that field who will submit entries. If I were at all skilled in the graphic arts, I'd at least try, but I'd rather sit back and appreciate the ones that get submitted, and the winner[s]!!!

Ha! I remember looking at, studying, assessing, and finally voting for the various entries of posters encouraging people to vote [contest hosted by our Supervisor of Elections]. They were done by school children ~ and OMG the talent was remarkable! NOT an easy task to vote!

Well, we have not had a proper logo for general use; on the front page of The Files we have a header which is based on Leonard's signature:

Now we're looking for something that can be used not only on the website but also on a T shirt, the Event booklets, and so on.
I don't want to define exactly how it should look like - this gives more room to your creative work and imagination!

1) Is it allowed to use the Unified Hearts symbol?
2) And the same question about other LC's artwork...

Hi Jarkko-wonderful idea! Those of us who owe so much to you for the friendships that we have developed are hoping that a great new logo can help indicate how deeply important your site has been to us. I wish I were more talented in that area, but I anxiously await the designs. Good luck to everyone!

Great idea Jarkko!
Imagine all the new tattoos that people will get once we have a new logo!
I have been thinking of getting another one (mine is a lotus flower so not LC related) and now I will wait to see the new design just in case...
Leslie

I remember that first Lincoln gathering and wishing I could go. So many great folks have become part of the Cohen community. I value the few gatherings I could attend and although I haven't been able to travel for awhile I enjoy the "virtual" trips your site and the forum has given me. You have been a solid foundation and fountain of information for all of us Jarkko. Thanks so much for hanging in there all these years.

Like others here, my artistic abilities fail to meet such a challenge. However; it seems rather fitting to me that The Leonard Cohen Forum and Files logo
should at least recognize Jarkko --I seem to remember having seen a picture of Leonard and Jarkko somewhere in here. I was helping out with membership a few years back of The Edmonton Event and had a logo from somewhere of a two tone pic of Leonard (that also reminded me of Leonard Nimoy) on my computer screen. For those more gifted in designing such things--just a thought.